Our Community Services

A word from the General Manager

Working on Country across the communities we support, it’s important that we continue to listen, learn and build our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and lived experiences. Our relationships with other Aboriginal organisations, Elders and local community groups are an important part of this. They help us to better understand what matters to the community and ensure our services are delivered in a way that is respectful, culturally safe, and responsive.

I would like to acknowledge and thank our valued partners, including Forster Local Aboriginal Land Council, Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Service and Forster Neighbourhood Centre, for the collaboration and support they provide. These partnerships are a great example of what can happen when organisations come together, share knowledge and work towards better outcomes for the people in our community.

Being genuinely connected to our local communities means understanding that every person, family, and community has their own story, strengths, culture and experiences. Our place-based approach allows us to build relationships that are genuine, respectful and meaningful, rather than simply delivering a service.

Whether it’s supporting a young person experiencing homelessness, helping someone obtain their driver licence or find employment, supporting an older person to remain independent, providing practical support to a family, or simply being there when someone needs someone to listen, it’s the relationships we build that make the difference.

This year, we provided more than 70,000 instances of community service, a 9.4% increase on the previous year, supporting people across the Mid North Coast and Illawarra.

Our teams also delivered 9,909 bed nights through our youth homelessness service, Guriilmal Ganya, an incredible 47.9% increase on FY25, 8,219 hours of Helping Hands care services, up 14%, and 3,964 Helping Hands Building Services jobs, an increase of 12%.

At Homebase Youth Services, we continued to see the impact of our holistic approach. Through our programs – including Strive for Success, the Driver Licensing Access Program (DLAP), Supported Playgroup, Targeted Early Intervention (TEI), the Worimi Advocacy Referral Service and school-based initiatives – we supported young people and families to build confidence, strengthen connections and work towards their goals.

Strive for Success has now supported 414 young people, with 231 participants successfully gaining employment and 311 engaging in education or training.

Helping Hands Building Services reached an exciting new chapter this year, expanding into modular home construction through our partnership with Broadworth Modular. This has created new apprenticeships, jobs and training opportunities while growing our capability as a sustainable social enterprise. It’s a great example of how we can take our skills and community focus and turn it into new opportunities for the future.

At Guriilmal Ganya (Safe House), formerly the Great Lakes and Manning Youth Homelessness Service, our team continued to support young people and families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity during an ongoing housing crisis. Despite the challenges, our staff have continued to show compassion, resilience and a willingness to find solutions.

I am proud of the way our staff continue to step up, support each other and go above and beyond for the people we work with. The dedication, care and commitment of our people are what make Community Resources what it is.

I feel very confident about the future of our community services. We have a strong foundation, committed people, trusted relationships and a clear understanding of the communities we serve. There are exciting opportunities ahead to grow our services, strengthen our partnerships, expand our reach and continue developing innovative ways to respond to local needs. I look forward to what we will achieve together in the year ahead.

GENERAL MANAGER